AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for the release of Australian whistleblower and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after spending more than four years behind bars in the United Kingdom.
‘Enough is enough.’
In a recent interview, a frustrated Albanese aired his disappointment over the lack of a diplomatic solution to the embattled whistleblower’s ongoing incarceration amid concerns regarding his health.
“I continue to say in private what I said publicly as Labor leader and what I’ve said as Prime Minister, that enough is enough. This needs to be brought to a conclusion,” said Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia.
Assange remains jailed in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison and continues to fight potential extradition to the United States.
Albanese said Australian authorities are working through diplomatic channels but are very clear regarding their position on Assange’s case.
The US is seeking to extradite the 51-year-old on 18 charges, including spying and hacking charges, relating to WikiLeaks’ release of tens of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010.
In June 2022, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel formally approved the extradition of the embattled WikiLeaks founder to the US to face spying charges under the Espionage Act.
Once extradited to the US and charged under the Espionage Act, Assange could face up to 175 years in jail. The Australian citizen said he faces persecution for his ‘political opinions’ and is battling extradition in the European courts. For his supporters, the 51-year-old represents a journalist brave enough to interfere with the world’s largest institutions by exposing U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Albanese refused to confirm if he will raise Assange’s case with US President Joe Biden when he visits Australia this month for the Quad Leaders’ Summit.
